SNAP ban on candy, soda and “junk food” goes into effect January 1

The new year brings new restrictions and bans for Americans living in five states who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Beginning January 1, 2026, people living in Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah and West Virginia will not be able to purchase soda, candy or other “junk food” items.

These states are the first five of at least 18 states to implement waivers banning certain foods for SNAP recipients. According to Associated Press, it is part of an initiative by Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins vo eliminate what they consider unhealthy foods of those receiving benefits through the federal program.

“We cannot continue a system that forces taxpayers to fund programs that make people sick and then pay a second time to treat the very diseases those very programs help cause,” Kennedy said in a statement in December.

In Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again initiative, the health secretary, who has no formal medical or public health training, says the effort will help reduce chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes linked to sweetened drinks and foods.

But industry experts, including retail and healthcare policy leaders, say banning certain foods won’t solve these problems.

“The widening restrictions essentially tell these families that they cannot be trusted to make their own food choices, which is both demeaning and, according to the evidenceineffective in improving dietary behaviors,” Kate Bauer, associate professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, said in a statement. “We all deserve dignity.”

Even more troubling, a report from the National Grocers Association and other trade groups estimates that the restrictions would cost U.S. retailers $1.6 billion initially and an additional $759 million each year thereafter.

The first five state waivers will affect approximately 1.4 million people. Utah and West Virginia will reportedly ban SNAP benefits from being used to purchase soda and other soft drinks. Recipients in Nebraska will ban the sale of soft drinks and energy drinks. Soft drinks and candy cannot be purchased in Indiana.

Iowa has the most restrictive rules. SNAP restrictions target taxable foods, including soda, candy, and certain prepared foods. Since 2008, SNAP benefits under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 can be used for “any food or food product intended for human consumption.” The only exceptions were alcohol, ready-made hot dishes and tobacco.

The new ban applies for at least two years. States will have the option to extend them for another three. Each state will have to assess the impact of the changes.

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